Asia

Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asia. Show all posts

Iranians call for nuclear bomb after US-Israeli war as Tehran distributes anti nuclear radiation tablets

Iranians call for nuclear bomb after US-Israeli war as Tehran distributes anti nuclear radiation tablets

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New Supreme Leader 

The Persians have been calling for the Islamic Republic of Iran to develop nuclear and atomic weapons following the aftermath of the US and Israel military aggression against the republic.

According to the reports, more Iranian religious leaders, politicians and hardliners are openly demanding for the country to develop nuclear weapons after US and Israeli killed Supreme leader Ali Khamenei in February 2026. 

Iran under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his fatwa banned the development of nuclear weapons for many years.

According to report by the Times, Iran distributes ANTI-RADIATION TABLETS as it prepares for potential NUCLEAR FALLOUT. IODINE TABLETS handed out to communities NEAR NUCLEAR FACILITIES. Pickaxe Mountain may come under nuclear attacks of the US forces.

The United States is offering up to $20 million and possible relocation for information on Iran’s nuclear program, CENTCOM said Friday. 

The reward covers intelligence on nuclear facilities, equipment, personnel, scientists and their movements.

However, during Friday prayers in Tehran, leaders and members of parliament stated if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb, it won't be attacked again.  Currently, Top military officials confirmed the debate is underway with leadership but no final decision yet.

America, Israel and European counterparts only respect any other country with stockpile of arsenal and Iranians want the country to live up to the expectations that will guarantee the security of the Persians.

As potential US strikes are imminent, Iranian Health Ministry official confirmed the distribution of iodine tablets to residents living close to Nuclear facilities. Accord to officials, this was done during every war within 2-3 km radius of such Nuclear sites. They also added Trump can no longer be trusted and may go through with this crime.

Iran distributed about 180000 iodine tablets in Bushehr near its nuclear power plant.

Iodine tablets only protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine rather than shielding against other radioactive. They are standard precautions used around nuclear sites in wartime and accident incidents.

Tehran is signaling US could strike Pickaxe Mountain with nuclear weapon following months of public threats from Trump. Pickaxe Mountain remains hard target to be destroyed by conventional weapons unless nukes are used.

Meanwhile, Tehran has released a list of countries hosting US military bases that could face attacks in an eventual wider conflict.

Iran Names UK, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, Portugal & Cyprus Among Potential Targets. They are all NATO Nations.

The warning signals a potentially dramatic expansion of the Iran US confrontation across Europe and the Middle East. The middle east Arab Nations hosting the US military bases have many stories to tell about Iranian retaliatory missiles strikes hitting their territories.

As the hostilities range on, Iran has fired surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet over the Strait of Hormuz, while its integrated air defense network has also shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over Qeshm Island,  Iranian military sources and state media confirmed the report.

In an official statement carried by Tasnim, Iran’s military said the Reaper was intercepted and destroyed using “advanced systems” belonging to its unified air defense network over Hormozgan province. The engagements come just days after U.S. carrier aircraft struck Iranian air-defense launchers on Qeshm Island.

While the US has neither confirmed nor denied the report, President Donald Trump has  stood in front of reporters in West Palm Beach and confirmed US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

He said: "I don't want to talk about it. We do minor strikes, but they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five."

As anti radioactive iodine is been distributed, Iran issued Code 100, its HIGHEST alert, for all armed forces, per initial reports as he war that is now more than 8 months old.


New Supreme Leader 

The Persians have been calling for the Islamic Republic of Iran to develop nuclear and atomic weapons following the aftermath of the US and Israel military aggression against the republic.

According to the reports, more Iranian religious leaders, politicians and hardliners are openly demanding for the country to develop nuclear weapons after US and Israeli killed Supreme leader Ali Khamenei in February 2026. 

Iran under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his fatwa banned the development of nuclear weapons for many years.

According to report by the Times, Iran distributes ANTI-RADIATION TABLETS as it prepares for potential NUCLEAR FALLOUT. IODINE TABLETS handed out to communities NEAR NUCLEAR FACILITIES. Pickaxe Mountain may come under nuclear attacks of the US forces.

The United States is offering up to $20 million and possible relocation for information on Iran’s nuclear program, CENTCOM said Friday. 

The reward covers intelligence on nuclear facilities, equipment, personnel, scientists and their movements.

However, during Friday prayers in Tehran, leaders and members of parliament stated if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb, it won't be attacked again.  Currently, Top military officials confirmed the debate is underway with leadership but no final decision yet.

America, Israel and European counterparts only respect any other country with stockpile of arsenal and Iranians want the country to live up to the expectations that will guarantee the security of the Persians.

As potential US strikes are imminent, Iranian Health Ministry official confirmed the distribution of iodine tablets to residents living close to Nuclear facilities. Accord to officials, this was done during every war within 2-3 km radius of such Nuclear sites. They also added Trump can no longer be trusted and may go through with this crime.

Iran distributed about 180000 iodine tablets in Bushehr near its nuclear power plant.

Iodine tablets only protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine rather than shielding against other radioactive. They are standard precautions used around nuclear sites in wartime and accident incidents.

Tehran is signaling US could strike Pickaxe Mountain with nuclear weapon following months of public threats from Trump. Pickaxe Mountain remains hard target to be destroyed by conventional weapons unless nukes are used.

Meanwhile, Tehran has released a list of countries hosting US military bases that could face attacks in an eventual wider conflict.

Iran Names UK, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Greece, Portugal & Cyprus Among Potential Targets. They are all NATO Nations.

The warning signals a potentially dramatic expansion of the Iran US confrontation across Europe and the Middle East. The middle east Arab Nations hosting the US military bases have many stories to tell about Iranian retaliatory missiles strikes hitting their territories.

As the hostilities range on, Iran has fired surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet over the Strait of Hormuz, while its integrated air defense network has also shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over Qeshm Island,  Iranian military sources and state media confirmed the report.

In an official statement carried by Tasnim, Iran’s military said the Reaper was intercepted and destroyed using “advanced systems” belonging to its unified air defense network over Hormozgan province. The engagements come just days after U.S. carrier aircraft struck Iranian air-defense launchers on Qeshm Island.

While the US has neither confirmed nor denied the report, President Donald Trump has  stood in front of reporters in West Palm Beach and confirmed US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

He said: "I don't want to talk about it. We do minor strikes, but they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five."

As anti radioactive iodine is been distributed, Iran issued Code 100, its HIGHEST alert, for all armed forces, per initial reports as he war that is now more than 8 months old.

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Iran Nemesis: President Trump speaks about North Korea's Kim Jong Un as his best friend

Iran Nemesis: President Trump speaks about North Korea's Kim Jong Un as his best friend

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Kim& Trump 

US President Donald Trump speaks about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as his best friend. “Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect.


We spent time. I understand him. He understands me.


He didn’t like anybody, but I get along with him very well.


What I'm doing is making things safer.”


According to Donald Trump, US will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.

"These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile," Trump posted.


I called the president of South Korea. I said, “Would you help with Iran? If you would like, we don’t need help.” He said, “No thanks.”

I said, “What do you mean? We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, and you are not going to help us with Iran? That’s strange.”

Then why are we involved with helping you? Protecting South Korea is costing us billions of dollars.

Seoul said it was reviewing Trump's comments, adding it hoped a favourable relationship between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to meaningful talks. Pyongyang has not yet commented.

Earlier, South Korea said the drills with the US would proceed "as scheduled".

It comes after North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests prohibited by the United States

He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.

Trump on Sunday said it was "too late to cancel", as the US and South Korea were due to start their annual military exercises on Monday. "While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'"

Trump's announcement came less than 24 hours after he posted an old photograph of himself and Kim from 2019, writing the two were great friends.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump explicitly linked his decision to South Korea's refusal to "give us a little hand" with Iran. We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next door neighbour, and you're not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran," he said. "That's strange".

"All I want is fairness," he later added.

In its statement, South Korea's presidential Blue House said it would continue diplomatic consultations on US-Korea military cooperation related to the Strait of Hormuz, while discussing details on joint military drills with the United States.

According to a BBC report, experts suggest the walking back of joint military exercises could carry a high cost with relatively little benefit.

"US-South Korea combined defence exercises are essential for military forces to be ready and capable of doing their jobs," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Scaling them back can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defence, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia.

"The cost savings from downsizing drills are marginal, while the diplomatic benefits for relations with North Korea are doubtful."

Last week, US and South Korean military leaders held a joint press conference announcing Ulchi Freedom Shield.

They said the 11-day event would be similar in scale to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participation 

During the news conference, military leaders also mentioned North Korea's deployment of troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine.

US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said "our training accounts for that threat", referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield. About 28,500 American military personnel are stationed in South Korea.

On Friday, North Korea's foreign ministry condemned the joint military drills as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war".

The joint exercises come days after South Korea, the US and Japan detected the second North Korean missile test in days

Pyongyang has accelerated efforts to expand its nuclear and missile programmes since the collapse in 2019 of Kim's high-profile diplomacy with Trump during his first term in the White House.

He became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.

For Seoul, Trump's post is a mixed message. On the one hand, they have been requesting Trump engage with Pyongyang and the post raises hope that he might bring Kim back to the table

But Trump is also hinting that he is unhappy with South Korea's unwillingness to make direct military or logistical contributions to the US hostilities with Iran.

He has also expressed displeasure with other allies for their hesitance to get involved in the conflict, including Japan, France and the UK.

Trump's move to downsize joint military exercises with South Korea is not without precedent.

He suspended the exercises entirely in 2018, during denuclearisation negotiations with Kim. He said at the time that the annual drills were "provocative" towards North Korea and stopping the "war games" would save the US a "tremendous amount of money."

The exercises were again scaled back in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was predicted that President Trump would suspend or scale down US-SK joint exercise, or even reduce the size of US troops in Korea.

Last week, South Korea's president proposed talks with its northern neighbour on officially ending the war between the two, which is technically still active since an armistice was signed in 1953

Trump has noted multiple times in the past that the US is providing security to South Korea without getting much in return.

He has criticised the number of troops it has stationed in the peninsula and the money spent.

This has complicated Washington's relationship with Seoul, which sees the troops as core to its alliance with the US.

Seoul tried to defuse the tension earlier this year, committing $350bn to investing in the US. And last year President Lee Jae Myung described Trump as a peacemaker.

Kim& Trump 

US President Donald Trump speaks about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as his best friend. “Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect.


We spent time. I understand him. He understands me.


He didn’t like anybody, but I get along with him very well.


What I'm doing is making things safer.”


According to Donald Trump, US will "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.

"These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile," Trump posted.


I called the president of South Korea. I said, “Would you help with Iran? If you would like, we don’t need help.” He said, “No thanks.”

I said, “What do you mean? We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, and you are not going to help us with Iran? That’s strange.”

Then why are we involved with helping you? Protecting South Korea is costing us billions of dollars.

Seoul said it was reviewing Trump's comments, adding it hoped a favourable relationship between Washington and Pyongyang could lead to meaningful talks. Pyongyang has not yet commented.

Earlier, South Korea said the drills with the US would proceed "as scheduled".

It comes after North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests prohibited by the United States

He also noted on Truth Social that South Korea had recently declined to join the US in the "denuclearisation" of Iran.

Trump on Sunday said it was "too late to cancel", as the US and South Korea were due to start their annual military exercises on Monday. "While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'"

Trump's announcement came less than 24 hours after he posted an old photograph of himself and Kim from 2019, writing the two were great friends.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump explicitly linked his decision to South Korea's refusal to "give us a little hand" with Iran. We have 39,000 soldiers over there guarding you from Kim Jong Un, your next door neighbour, and you're not going to help us on a very easy military operation in Iran," he said. "That's strange".

"All I want is fairness," he later added.

In its statement, South Korea's presidential Blue House said it would continue diplomatic consultations on US-Korea military cooperation related to the Strait of Hormuz, while discussing details on joint military drills with the United States.

According to a BBC report, experts suggest the walking back of joint military exercises could carry a high cost with relatively little benefit.

"US-South Korea combined defence exercises are essential for military forces to be ready and capable of doing their jobs," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Scaling them back can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defence, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia.

"The cost savings from downsizing drills are marginal, while the diplomatic benefits for relations with North Korea are doubtful."

Last week, US and South Korean military leaders held a joint press conference announcing Ulchi Freedom Shield.

They said the 11-day event would be similar in scale to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participation 

During the news conference, military leaders also mentioned North Korea's deployment of troops to aid Russia's war against Ukraine.

US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said "our training accounts for that threat", referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield. About 28,500 American military personnel are stationed in South Korea.

On Friday, North Korea's foreign ministry condemned the joint military drills as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war".

The joint exercises come days after South Korea, the US and Japan detected the second North Korean missile test in days

Pyongyang has accelerated efforts to expand its nuclear and missile programmes since the collapse in 2019 of Kim's high-profile diplomacy with Trump during his first term in the White House.

He became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.

For Seoul, Trump's post is a mixed message. On the one hand, they have been requesting Trump engage with Pyongyang and the post raises hope that he might bring Kim back to the table

But Trump is also hinting that he is unhappy with South Korea's unwillingness to make direct military or logistical contributions to the US hostilities with Iran.

He has also expressed displeasure with other allies for their hesitance to get involved in the conflict, including Japan, France and the UK.

Trump's move to downsize joint military exercises with South Korea is not without precedent.

He suspended the exercises entirely in 2018, during denuclearisation negotiations with Kim. He said at the time that the annual drills were "provocative" towards North Korea and stopping the "war games" would save the US a "tremendous amount of money."

The exercises were again scaled back in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was predicted that President Trump would suspend or scale down US-SK joint exercise, or even reduce the size of US troops in Korea.

Last week, South Korea's president proposed talks with its northern neighbour on officially ending the war between the two, which is technically still active since an armistice was signed in 1953

Trump has noted multiple times in the past that the US is providing security to South Korea without getting much in return.

He has criticised the number of troops it has stationed in the peninsula and the money spent.

This has complicated Washington's relationship with Seoul, which sees the troops as core to its alliance with the US.

Seoul tried to defuse the tension earlier this year, committing $350bn to investing in the US. And last year President Lee Jae Myung described Trump as a peacemaker.
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Iranian President In China as SCO Sets to Address Trump's Economic War with the Rest of the World

Iranian President In China as SCO Sets to Address Trump's Economic War with the Rest of the World

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The summit will address Trump's economic war with the rest of the world


This visit is very important as talks with China on a USD 400 billion investment in Iran will take place


Further separate meetings between Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin are planned


The summit will address Trump's economic war with the rest of the world


This visit is very important as talks with China on a USD 400 billion investment in Iran will take place


Further separate meetings between Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin are planned

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Indian Bags 10 Years for Fraud in Lagos

Indian Bags 10 Years for Fraud in Lagos

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Justice I.O. Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Thursday, February 27, 2025, convicted and sentenced an Indian, Chandra Singh to 10 years imprisonment for procurement fraud.

 

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had on Thursday, November 24, 2022, arraigned him before Justice Ijelu on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged retention of stolen property and bribery to the tune of N816,361,386.75( Eight Hundred and Sixteen Million,  Three Hundred and Sixty One Thousand,  Three Hundred and Eighty Six, Naira,  Seventeen Five Naira)

 

One of the counts reads: "That Chandra Prankash Singh, on or before 1st of January, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst in the employment of African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, solicited indirectly to confer undue advantage for your company, CVN Engineering Limited, in order that you influence your employee to award the supply of items costing N365,757,457.00 to CVN Engineering Limited."


Another count reads: "That Chandra Prankash Singh, on or before 1st of January, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst in the employment of African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, solicited indirectly to confer undue advantage for your company, Neo Paints Nigeria Limited, in order that you influence your employee to award the supply of items costing N243,141,638.75 to Neo Paints Nigeria Limited."

 

He was also alleged to have dishonestly retained the sum of $4,150 belonging to African Natural Resources and Mines Limited. 

 

He pleaded "not guilty" to all the counts, prompting the commencement of his trial.

 

In the course of trial, prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, called nine witnesses and tendered several documentary evidence to prove the case against him.

 

Delivering judgment on Thursday, February 27, 2025, Justice Ijelu found him guilty as charged on counts 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 and sentenced him to 10 years without an option of fine. He was also ordered to make restitution of N345 million to his victim.

 

Singh bagged his imprisonment when he was arrested and prosecuted for  retention of stolen property and bribery to the tune of N816,361,386.75( Eight Hundred and Sixteen Million,  Three Hundred and Sixty One Thousand,  Three Hundred and Eighty Six, Naira,  Seventeen Five Naira).

 


Source: EFCC 


Justice I.O. Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Thursday, February 27, 2025, convicted and sentenced an Indian, Chandra Singh to 10 years imprisonment for procurement fraud.

 

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had on Thursday, November 24, 2022, arraigned him before Justice Ijelu on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged retention of stolen property and bribery to the tune of N816,361,386.75( Eight Hundred and Sixteen Million,  Three Hundred and Sixty One Thousand,  Three Hundred and Eighty Six, Naira,  Seventeen Five Naira)

 

One of the counts reads: "That Chandra Prankash Singh, on or before 1st of January, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst in the employment of African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, solicited indirectly to confer undue advantage for your company, CVN Engineering Limited, in order that you influence your employee to award the supply of items costing N365,757,457.00 to CVN Engineering Limited."


Another count reads: "That Chandra Prankash Singh, on or before 1st of January, 2021, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst in the employment of African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, solicited indirectly to confer undue advantage for your company, Neo Paints Nigeria Limited, in order that you influence your employee to award the supply of items costing N243,141,638.75 to Neo Paints Nigeria Limited."

 

He was also alleged to have dishonestly retained the sum of $4,150 belonging to African Natural Resources and Mines Limited. 

 

He pleaded "not guilty" to all the counts, prompting the commencement of his trial.

 

In the course of trial, prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, called nine witnesses and tendered several documentary evidence to prove the case against him.

 

Delivering judgment on Thursday, February 27, 2025, Justice Ijelu found him guilty as charged on counts 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 and sentenced him to 10 years without an option of fine. He was also ordered to make restitution of N345 million to his victim.

 

Singh bagged his imprisonment when he was arrested and prosecuted for  retention of stolen property and bribery to the tune of N816,361,386.75( Eight Hundred and Sixteen Million,  Three Hundred and Sixty One Thousand,  Three Hundred and Eighty Six, Naira,  Seventeen Five Naira).

 


Source: EFCC 

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Indian Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman who travels to office (VIDEO)

Indian Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman who travels to office (VIDEO)

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She is the current Finance Minister of 4 trillion dollars economy,  5 trillion dollars stock capitalization,  700 billion dollars foreign reserves. 
She is the Indian Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman who travels to office with Indian Metro Train & whose husband is an anti BJP University Professor.


Nirmala Sitaraman

Born 18 August 1959, Nirmala Sitaraman is an Indian economist, politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) serving as the Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs of the Government of India since 2019.

See above why Nigeria may never depart misery. 9/11 presidential aircraft fleet, over 70 presidential automobile fleet, similar huge vehicular fleet for Senate president, speaker of NA, and each of 36 states government, illegal security votes of $1b+  for the 35 states governors(one declined it from one year ago), each of over 400 national legislators have motorcade of 4+ each all these at state expense and changed every 4 years and just the tip of the iceberg of unconscionable profligacy and looting of the government Treasury by the state actors in Nigeria < $300b GDP economy


Source: social media 


She is the current Finance Minister of 4 trillion dollars economy,  5 trillion dollars stock capitalization,  700 billion dollars foreign reserves. 
She is the Indian Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman who travels to office with Indian Metro Train & whose husband is an anti BJP University Professor.


Nirmala Sitaraman

Born 18 August 1959, Nirmala Sitaraman is an Indian economist, politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) serving as the Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs of the Government of India since 2019.

See above why Nigeria may never depart misery. 9/11 presidential aircraft fleet, over 70 presidential automobile fleet, similar huge vehicular fleet for Senate president, speaker of NA, and each of 36 states government, illegal security votes of $1b+  for the 35 states governors(one declined it from one year ago), each of over 400 national legislators have motorcade of 4+ each all these at state expense and changed every 4 years and just the tip of the iceberg of unconscionable profligacy and looting of the government Treasury by the state actors in Nigeria < $300b GDP economy


Source: social media 
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Raisi funeral updates: Procession for Iran president after helicopter crash

Raisi funeral updates: Procession for Iran president after helicopter crash

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 Massive crowds of Iranians thronged the streets of the capital, Tehran, for the funeral procession of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who died in a helicopter crash.


.

Raisi and several other officials, including Iran’s foreign minister and a provincial governor, were on board when the helicopter went down in northern Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei declared five days of national mourning.
On Tuesday, mourners gathered in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan, for a farewell procession for Raisi.
An election will be held on June 28 to pick Raisi’s successor.


Foreign dignitaries pay their respects at official ceremony

The commemoration ceremony for Iran’s Raisi and other officials who died in Sunday’s crash has started at the Iran International Conference Center in northern Tehran, reports Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.

Visiting delegations, including from Jordan and Oman, have entered the procession, paying tribute to Raisi and the other officials, according to videos posted by the news agency.


Kuwait’s FM heads to Tehran

More foreign dignitaries are flying into Tehran ahead of the commemoration ceremony.


One of the latest officials to head there is Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya, who will attend the funeral on behalf of Kuwait’s emir.



Iranian expats shed fewer tears for Raisi

While tens of thousands of Iranians have gathered in Tehran to mourn their late president, reactions among Iranian expatriates, many critical of him and the government, vary.


Many Iranian diaspora members, including those who fled after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, view Raisi as an ultraconservative figure responsible for enforcing repressive laws and a crackdown on protests and dissidents.


They also point to Raisi’s alleged role in mass executions of political prisoners at the end of Iran’s long war with Iraq in the 1980s, for which he received US sanctions.


Seeing Raisi’s death as a blow to the government they revile, some groups of Iranian dissidents have even publicly celebrated in European cities, according to Nazenin Ansari, editor of the Kayhan London website.


“Each member of this regime that goes is a victory for us,” said Guilda Torabi, spokesperson for the Homa association, an Iranian support group in France.


Pakistan PM, Belarus FM arrive in Tehran

Iran’s Mehr news agency is reporting that Pakistan’s PM Sharif has arrived in Tehran.


Among other foreign dignities, Belarus’s Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik also arrived in Iran’s capital this afternoon.

 Massive crowds of Iranians thronged the streets of the capital, Tehran, for the funeral procession of President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, who died in a helicopter crash.


.

Raisi and several other officials, including Iran’s foreign minister and a provincial governor, were on board when the helicopter went down in northern Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei declared five days of national mourning.
On Tuesday, mourners gathered in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan, for a farewell procession for Raisi.
An election will be held on June 28 to pick Raisi’s successor.


Foreign dignitaries pay their respects at official ceremony

The commemoration ceremony for Iran’s Raisi and other officials who died in Sunday’s crash has started at the Iran International Conference Center in northern Tehran, reports Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.

Visiting delegations, including from Jordan and Oman, have entered the procession, paying tribute to Raisi and the other officials, according to videos posted by the news agency.


Kuwait’s FM heads to Tehran

More foreign dignitaries are flying into Tehran ahead of the commemoration ceremony.


One of the latest officials to head there is Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya, who will attend the funeral on behalf of Kuwait’s emir.



Iranian expats shed fewer tears for Raisi

While tens of thousands of Iranians have gathered in Tehran to mourn their late president, reactions among Iranian expatriates, many critical of him and the government, vary.


Many Iranian diaspora members, including those who fled after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, view Raisi as an ultraconservative figure responsible for enforcing repressive laws and a crackdown on protests and dissidents.


They also point to Raisi’s alleged role in mass executions of political prisoners at the end of Iran’s long war with Iraq in the 1980s, for which he received US sanctions.


Seeing Raisi’s death as a blow to the government they revile, some groups of Iranian dissidents have even publicly celebrated in European cities, according to Nazenin Ansari, editor of the Kayhan London website.


“Each member of this regime that goes is a victory for us,” said Guilda Torabi, spokesperson for the Homa association, an Iranian support group in France.


Pakistan PM, Belarus FM arrive in Tehran

Iran’s Mehr news agency is reporting that Pakistan’s PM Sharif has arrived in Tehran.


Among other foreign dignities, Belarus’s Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik also arrived in Iran’s capital this afternoon.

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Fear of China's Domination: Joe Biden Imposes a series of tariffs on goods made in China

Fear of China's Domination: Joe Biden Imposes a series of tariffs on goods made in China

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Biden &XI
Photo credit: BBC

The President of United States Joe Biden has imposed a series of tariffs on goods made in China following a revelationd that the Chinese are more than determined to dominate the world in such aspects.


According to President Biden, China is determined to dominate industries which includes : Steel and aluminum, Semiconductors, EVs and solar panels.


Consequently Biden has imposed heavy tariffs on them: 

25% on steel and aluminum,
50% on semiconductors,
100% on EVs,
And 50% on solar panels.




Biden criticized Donald Trump's measure against China but obviously taken Trump's options . 

Biden &XI
Photo credit: BBC

The President of United States Joe Biden has imposed a series of tariffs on goods made in China following a revelationd that the Chinese are more than determined to dominate the world in such aspects.


According to President Biden, China is determined to dominate industries which includes : Steel and aluminum, Semiconductors, EVs and solar panels.


Consequently Biden has imposed heavy tariffs on them: 

25% on steel and aluminum,
50% on semiconductors,
100% on EVs,
And 50% on solar panels.




Biden criticized Donald Trump's measure against China but obviously taken Trump's options . 

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NIGERIAN ARMY EXPLORES MUTUAL COLLABORATION WITH INDIAN MILITARY

NIGERIAN ARMY EXPLORES MUTUAL COLLABORATION WITH INDIAN MILITARY

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The Nigerian Army (NA) has expressed its readiness for effective collaboration with her Indian counterpart on capacity development. The bilateral collaboration would be in the areas of military training, health, technology among others. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya made this known when he received in audience, a delegation from Defence Scoping of India at Army Headquarters, today Thursday 16, 2021.


Lieutenant General Yahaya noted that India has enormous potentials that the NA could explore in support of its training and operations. He further stated that Nigeria and India have historical ties that are mutually beneficial. While commending the delegation for the visit, he reiterated

that the collaboration would facilitate information sharing and exchange of experiences in military development.


He noted that the NA could further develop the capacity of its medical personnel and enhance technological capacity in aid of military operations.







The leader of the delegation, Lieutenant General Vinod Khandare (rtd), who is the Military Adviser to National Council of India, stated that he was at Army Headquarters to explore frontiers for effective collaboration between both countries. He assured the COAS of India's desire to continually assist and cooperate with the NA in the areas of training, human capacity development and other viable areas.


The Military Adviser to National Council of India, said the visit would equally enhance the historical ties between the two countries. He added that the envisaged areas of training would sharpen the skills of NA personnel.


Lt Gen Khandare assured that the Government of India will continue to support the NA in providing the necessary skills that would enhance troops' capacity in ongoing military operations.


ONYEMA NWACHUKWU

Brigadier General

Director Army Public Relations

16 September 2021


The Nigerian Army (NA) has expressed its readiness for effective collaboration with her Indian counterpart on capacity development. The bilateral collaboration would be in the areas of military training, health, technology among others. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya made this known when he received in audience, a delegation from Defence Scoping of India at Army Headquarters, today Thursday 16, 2021.


Lieutenant General Yahaya noted that India has enormous potentials that the NA could explore in support of its training and operations. He further stated that Nigeria and India have historical ties that are mutually beneficial. While commending the delegation for the visit, he reiterated

that the collaboration would facilitate information sharing and exchange of experiences in military development.


He noted that the NA could further develop the capacity of its medical personnel and enhance technological capacity in aid of military operations.







The leader of the delegation, Lieutenant General Vinod Khandare (rtd), who is the Military Adviser to National Council of India, stated that he was at Army Headquarters to explore frontiers for effective collaboration between both countries. He assured the COAS of India's desire to continually assist and cooperate with the NA in the areas of training, human capacity development and other viable areas.


The Military Adviser to National Council of India, said the visit would equally enhance the historical ties between the two countries. He added that the envisaged areas of training would sharpen the skills of NA personnel.


Lt Gen Khandare assured that the Government of India will continue to support the NA in providing the necessary skills that would enhance troops' capacity in ongoing military operations.


ONYEMA NWACHUKWU

Brigadier General

Director Army Public Relations

16 September 2021

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UK Prime Minister: "It's clear" there will be a new government in Kabul "very shortly'

UK Prime Minister: "It's clear" there will be a new government in Kabul "very shortly'

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is clear there will be a new government in place in Afghanistan "very shortly."

“It’s clear there is going to be very shortly a new government in Kabul, or a new political dispensation, however you want to put it,” he said in an interview on Sunday.

Johnson went on to call on the UK’s allies in the West to “work together” to make sure Afghanistan does not become the breeding ground for terrorism that it once was.


“I think it’s very important that the west, collectively, should work together to get over to that new government, be it by the Taliban or anybody else, that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror,” he said. “We don’t think that it’s in the interests of the people of Afghanistan that it should lapse back into that.”

“We don’t want anybody bilaterally recognizing the Taliban, we want a united position amongst all the like-minded, as far as we can get one,” he added.

Johnson described the situation in Afghanistan as “extremely difficult” and worsening, adding that, in his view, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was expected.

“I think it’s fair to say the US decision to pull out has accelerated things,” he explained. “We’ve known for a long time this was the way things were going.”

The British prime minister added that his government’s priority was first and foremost to UK citizens and Afghan support staff that helped the UK over the past two decades.

“Our priority is to make sure we deliver on obligations to UK nationals in Afghanistan, to all those who have helped the British effort in Afghanistan over 20 years and to get them out as fast as we can,” he said, adding that the UK ambassador was working around the clock.

“Two thousand have left, we’re going to get as many as we can in the next few days,” he concluded.




From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is clear there will be a new government in place in Afghanistan "very shortly."

“It’s clear there is going to be very shortly a new government in Kabul, or a new political dispensation, however you want to put it,” he said in an interview on Sunday.

Johnson went on to call on the UK’s allies in the West to “work together” to make sure Afghanistan does not become the breeding ground for terrorism that it once was.


“I think it’s very important that the west, collectively, should work together to get over to that new government, be it by the Taliban or anybody else, that nobody wants Afghanistan once again to be a breeding ground for terror,” he said. “We don’t think that it’s in the interests of the people of Afghanistan that it should lapse back into that.”

“We don’t want anybody bilaterally recognizing the Taliban, we want a united position amongst all the like-minded, as far as we can get one,” he added.

Johnson described the situation in Afghanistan as “extremely difficult” and worsening, adding that, in his view, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was expected.

“I think it’s fair to say the US decision to pull out has accelerated things,” he explained. “We’ve known for a long time this was the way things were going.”

The British prime minister added that his government’s priority was first and foremost to UK citizens and Afghan support staff that helped the UK over the past two decades.

“Our priority is to make sure we deliver on obligations to UK nationals in Afghanistan, to all those who have helped the British effort in Afghanistan over 20 years and to get them out as fast as we can,” he said, adding that the UK ambassador was working around the clock.

“Two thousand have left, we’re going to get as many as we can in the next few days,” he concluded.




From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio
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Afghan president flees the country as Taliban move on Kabul

Afghan president flees the country as Taliban move on Kabul

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The embattled Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has left thecountry Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan, an AP reports has said.

According to the reports, the Taliban, which for hours had been in the outskirts of Kabul, announced soon after they would move further into a city gripped by panic throughout the day as helicopters raced overhead to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out.

Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights rushed to leave the country as well, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor — who had left homes in the countryside for the hoped-for safety in the capital — remained in their thousands in parks and open spaces throughout the city.

President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country, two officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief journalists.

 Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed in an online video that Ghani had left.

“The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah said. “God should hold him accountable.”

In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.

Instead, the Taliban swiftly defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military.

On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but apparently remained outside of the city’s downtown. Sporadic gunfire echoed at times though the streets were largely quiet.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatar’s Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are “awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city.” He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government.

But when pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government.

Taliban negotiators were in Kabul on Sunday to discuss the transfer of power, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating

The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah. Abdullah has been a vocal critic of Ghani, who long refused giving up power to get a deal with the Taliban.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them as “tense.” Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul.

“We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully,” he said, while the roar of a passing helicopter could be heard overhead.

Ghani appeared increasingly isolated before fleeing the country. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him without a military option. Negotiations in Doha, Qatar, the site of a Taliban office, have failed to stop the insurgents’ advance.

Still, acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan sought to reassure the public that Kabul would remain “secure.” The insurgents also tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldn’t enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they’d offer an “amnesty” to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.

“No one’s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,” the insurgents said in a statement.

But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days.

And on Sunday, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing.

One Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.

“You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan,” said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she’ll be able to graduate in two months’ time. “A generation ... raised in the modern Afghanistan were hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now.”

Rapid shuttle flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began Sunday, a few hours after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad — which had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands.

The U.S. decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel, and two officials said Sunday that American diplomats were being moved from the embassy to the airport. Military helicopters shuttled between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions.

The officials were not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy’s roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. The smoke grew heavier over time in the area, home to other nation’s embassies as well.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to push back against any comparison between the Afghan withdrawal and the one that came after the Vietnam War, saying: “This is not Saigon.” However, he acknowledged the “hollowness” of the Afghan security forces.

“From the perspective of our strategic competitors around the world, there’s nothing they would like more than see us in Afghanistan for another five, 10, 20 years,” he said. “It’s simply not in the national interest.”

NATO, meanwhile, said it was “helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world.”

Low-cost carrier FlyDubai said it would temporarily suspend flights to Kabul. It turned around a flight to the capital Sunday, as did Emirates. Emirates said an “unforeseen temporary closure of the runway” stopped it from landing.

Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces on Sunday.

The insurgents also seized the land border at Torkham, the last not in their control, on Sunday. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there after the militants seized it.

Later, Afghan forces at Bagram air base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters.



The embattled Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has left thecountry Sunday, joining his fellow citizens and foreigners in a stampede fleeing the advancing Taliban and signaling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan, an AP reports has said.

According to the reports, the Taliban, which for hours had been in the outskirts of Kabul, announced soon after they would move further into a city gripped by panic throughout the day as helicopters raced overhead to evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy. Smoke rose near the compound as staff destroyed important documents. Several other Western missions also prepared to pull their people out.

Civilians fearing that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that all but eliminated women’s rights rushed to leave the country as well, lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings. The desperately poor — who had left homes in the countryside for the hoped-for safety in the capital — remained in their thousands in parks and open spaces throughout the city.

President Ashraf Ghani flew out of the country, two officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief journalists.

 Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council, later confirmed in an online video that Ghani had left.

“The former president of Afghanistan left Afghanistan, leaving the country in this difficult situation,” Abdullah said. “God should hold him accountable.”

In a stunning rout, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces. Just days earlier, an American military assessment estimated it would be a month before the capital would come under insurgent pressure.

Instead, the Taliban swiftly defeated, co-opted or sent Afghan security forces fleeing from wide swaths of the country, even though they had some air support from the U.S. military.

On Sunday, the insurgents entered the outskirts of Kabul but apparently remained outside of the city’s downtown. Sporadic gunfire echoed at times though the streets were largely quiet.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Qatar’s Al-Jazeera English satellite news channel that the insurgents are “awaiting a peaceful transfer of Kabul city.” He declined to offer specifics on any possible negotiations between his forces and the government.

But when pressed on what kind of agreement the Taliban wanted, Shaheen acknowledged that they were seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government.

Taliban negotiators were in Kabul on Sunday to discuss the transfer of power, said an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. It remained unclear when that transfer would take place and who among the Taliban was negotiating

The negotiators on the government side included former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah. Abdullah has been a vocal critic of Ghani, who long refused giving up power to get a deal with the Taliban.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-doors negotiations, described them as “tense.” Karzai himself appeared in a video posted online, his three young daughters around him, saying he remained in Kabul.

“We are trying to solve the issue of Afghanistan with the Taliban leadership peacefully,” he said, while the roar of a passing helicopter could be heard overhead.

Ghani appeared increasingly isolated before fleeing the country. Warlords he negotiated with just days earlier have surrendered to the Taliban or fled, leaving him without a military option. Negotiations in Doha, Qatar, the site of a Taliban office, have failed to stop the insurgents’ advance.

Still, acting Defense Minister Bismillah Khan sought to reassure the public that Kabul would remain “secure.” The insurgents also tried to calm residents of the capital, insisting their fighters wouldn’t enter people’s homes or interfere with businesses. They also said they’d offer an “amnesty” to those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign forces.

“No one’s life, property and dignity will be harmed and the lives of the citizens of Kabul will not be at risk,” the insurgents said in a statement.

But there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days.

And on Sunday, panic set in as many rushed to leave the country through the Kabul airport, the last route out of the country as the Taliban now hold every border crossing.

One Afghan university student described feeling betrayed as she watched the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.

“You failed the younger generation of Afghanistan,” said Aisha Khurram, 22, who is now unsure of whether she’ll be able to graduate in two months’ time. “A generation ... raised in the modern Afghanistan were hoping to build the country with their own hands. They put blood, efforts and sweat into whatever we had right now.”

Rapid shuttle flights of helicopters near the U.S. Embassy began Sunday, a few hours after the militants seized the nearby city of Jalalabad — which had been the last major city besides the capital not in Taliban hands.

The U.S. decided a few days ago to send in thousands of troops to help evacuate some personnel, and two officials said Sunday that American diplomats were being moved from the embassy to the airport. Military helicopters shuttled between the embassy compound and the airport, where a core presence will remain for as long as possible given security conditions.

The officials were not authorized to discuss diplomatic movements and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, wisps of smoke could be seen near the embassy’s roof as diplomats urgently destroyed sensitive documents, according to two American military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation. The smoke grew heavier over time in the area, home to other nation’s embassies as well.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to push back against any comparison between the Afghan withdrawal and the one that came after the Vietnam War, saying: “This is not Saigon.” However, he acknowledged the “hollowness” of the Afghan security forces.

“From the perspective of our strategic competitors around the world, there’s nothing they would like more than see us in Afghanistan for another five, 10, 20 years,” he said. “It’s simply not in the national interest.”

NATO, meanwhile, said it was “helping to maintain operations at Kabul airport to keep Afghanistan connected with the world.”

Low-cost carrier FlyDubai said it would temporarily suspend flights to Kabul. It turned around a flight to the capital Sunday, as did Emirates. Emirates said an “unforeseen temporary closure of the runway” stopped it from landing.

Afghan officials said the militants also took the capitals of Maidan Wardak, Khost, Kapisa and Parwan provinces on Sunday.

The insurgents also seized the land border at Torkham, the last not in their control, on Sunday. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told local broadcaster Geo TV that Pakistan halted cross-border traffic there after the militants seized it.

Later, Afghan forces at Bagram air base, home to a prison housing 5,000 inmates, surrendered to the Taliban, according to Bagram district chief Darwaish Raufi. The prison at the former U.S. base held both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters.


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Russia says emergency UN meeting on Afghanistan is planned

Russia says emergency UN meeting on Afghanistan is planned

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Russia, a permanent member of the UNSC is working with other countries to hold an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan as the Taliban continues its military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies.

“We are working on this,” Kabulov said.

Mr Kabulov also said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying the Taliban had offered Russia and other countries -- which he did not name -- security assurances for their missions in Afghanistan.

Leonid Slutsky, foreign affairs chief in the lower house of the Russian parliament, said the situation in Afghanistan required the "immediate intervention" of the UN Security Council.

It is important to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe," he said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The US and other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens from the capital as Taliban fighters stood on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday.

Talks between the Talibans and Afghan Government for peaceful transfer and takeover of government is underway as the Taliban fighters encircled the capital Kabul already.

 Kabulov said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying Taliban had offered security assurances.

Zamir Kabulov is a Russian diplomat and Russian Presidential envoy to Afghanistan. He previously served the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan until September 21, 2009.

Russia, a permanent member of the UNSC is working with other countries to hold an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan as the Taliban continues its military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian news agencies.

“We are working on this,” Kabulov said.

Mr Kabulov also said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying the Taliban had offered Russia and other countries -- which he did not name -- security assurances for their missions in Afghanistan.

Leonid Slutsky, foreign affairs chief in the lower house of the Russian parliament, said the situation in Afghanistan required the "immediate intervention" of the UN Security Council.

It is important to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe," he said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The US and other countries rushed to evacuate their citizens from the capital as Taliban fighters stood on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday.

Talks between the Talibans and Afghan Government for peaceful transfer and takeover of government is underway as the Taliban fighters encircled the capital Kabul already.

 Kabulov said Moscow does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul, saying Taliban had offered security assurances.

Zamir Kabulov is a Russian diplomat and Russian Presidential envoy to Afghanistan. He previously served the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan until September 21, 2009.
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Taliban in Kabul, awaiting peaceful transfer of power as talks with fghan gov’t in progress

Taliban in Kabul, awaiting peaceful transfer of power as talks with fghan gov’t in progress

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As expectes the Taliban fighters have surrounded the Afghanistan capital but promised not to attack as talks got under way with the government on peaceful transfer of power.

According to the reports, the Taliban and Afghan government officials are already in negotiations for a peaceful transfer of power after fighters encircled the capital Kabul.

Taliban troops surrounded Afghanistan’s seat of power on Sunday but promised not to attack as handover talks were under way.


The group said it has instructed its fighters to refrain from violence and offer safe passage to anyone wishing to leave Kabul.

“Until the completion of the transition process, the responsibility for the security of Kabul is with the other side (the Afghan government),” a spokesman for the group said in a tweet.

The Afghan government soon after signalled there were negotiations under way to avoid bloodshed in Kabul and to transition power.


As expectes the Taliban fighters have surrounded the Afghanistan capital but promised not to attack as talks got under way with the government on peaceful transfer of power.

According to the reports, the Taliban and Afghan government officials are already in negotiations for a peaceful transfer of power after fighters encircled the capital Kabul.

Taliban troops surrounded Afghanistan’s seat of power on Sunday but promised not to attack as handover talks were under way.


The group said it has instructed its fighters to refrain from violence and offer safe passage to anyone wishing to leave Kabul.

“Until the completion of the transition process, the responsibility for the security of Kabul is with the other side (the Afghan government),” a spokesman for the group said in a tweet.

The Afghan government soon after signalled there were negotiations under way to avoid bloodshed in Kabul and to transition power.

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"U.S. Prepares Airlift as Cities Fall to Taliban With Stunning Speed, UN calls on Talibans to Halt the offensive

"U.S. Prepares Airlift as Cities Fall to Taliban With Stunning Speed, UN calls on Talibans to Halt the offensive

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The Taliban forces continued to rout Afghan forces, amid calls for President Ashraf Ghani to step down, and Joe Biden administration has dispatched more than 3,000 troops to help evacuate American and Afghan civilians.

The Taliban seek to isolate Kabul, the Pentagon says as four more major cities are under Taliban control and the government’s forces near collapse."

The Taliban has made rapid gains and now controls half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals, leaving the capital city of Kabul increasingly isolated.
Four more cities fell to the Taliban overnight including the country's second-biggest city, Kandahar, which is of particular strategic importance and was formerly a major hub for US military operations.



According the CNN, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby was directly asked if the war in Afghanistan could conclude with a Taliban takeover done with US-made weapons:


"What's it going to say for a 20-year war in Afghanistan if it ends with the Taliban rolling into Kabul in US-made MRAPs and Humvees and carrying weapons that our allies turned over to them?" a reporter asked him during a press briefing on the security situation in Afghanistan.


"I can't see the future," Kirby said. "And what I can tell you is our troops who deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 did what they were sent there to do, which is to prevent Afghanistan from being a safe haven for terrorist attacks upon the homeland and to severely degrade the capabilities of groups like al Qaeda."

"In the process of that effort, a lot of progress was made in Afghanistan, progress which we obviously don't want to see put at greater risk. Going forward, we're going to do a couple of things: We're going to make sure that a terrorist threat can't emanate from Afghanistan again by maintaining robust over the horizon counterterrorism capabilities in the region. And we're going to continue to support our Afghan partners, bilaterally, through maintenance support, through financial support, and we're going to continue to want to see a stable, secure Afghanistan. The other thing I would say is that we want to continue to see that there's a negotiated political settlement here for governance going forward, so that's what our focus is on right now," Kirby continued.


He was then asked if the Taliban is actually interested in any sort of negotiations.


"I think that's a question for Taliban leaders to speak to. They have a team in Doha. They have participated in the past in negotiations. Now, whether they're still interested in that or not, I think it's for them to speak to. We are still interested in seeing that outcome, and so should the rest of the international community," Kirby said.


United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the Taliban to halt their offensive in Afghanistan.

“I call on the Taliban to immediately halt the offensive, negotiate in good faith in the interest of Afghanistan and its people," he told reporters Friday.

"I hope that discussions in Doha, Qatar between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Taliban — supported by the region and the wider international community — will restore the pathway to a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Only an Afghan-led negotiated political settlement can ensure peace,” he added.


At least 241,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the Afghan conflict, and in the last month alone, more than 1,000 people have “been killed or injured from indiscriminate attacks against civilians, notably in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces,” he said.

The Taliban forces continued to rout Afghan forces, amid calls for President Ashraf Ghani to step down, and Joe Biden administration has dispatched more than 3,000 troops to help evacuate American and Afghan civilians.

The Taliban seek to isolate Kabul, the Pentagon says as four more major cities are under Taliban control and the government’s forces near collapse."

The Taliban has made rapid gains and now controls half of Afghanistan's provincial capitals, leaving the capital city of Kabul increasingly isolated.
Four more cities fell to the Taliban overnight including the country's second-biggest city, Kandahar, which is of particular strategic importance and was formerly a major hub for US military operations.



According the CNN, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby was directly asked if the war in Afghanistan could conclude with a Taliban takeover done with US-made weapons:


"What's it going to say for a 20-year war in Afghanistan if it ends with the Taliban rolling into Kabul in US-made MRAPs and Humvees and carrying weapons that our allies turned over to them?" a reporter asked him during a press briefing on the security situation in Afghanistan.


"I can't see the future," Kirby said. "And what I can tell you is our troops who deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 did what they were sent there to do, which is to prevent Afghanistan from being a safe haven for terrorist attacks upon the homeland and to severely degrade the capabilities of groups like al Qaeda."

"In the process of that effort, a lot of progress was made in Afghanistan, progress which we obviously don't want to see put at greater risk. Going forward, we're going to do a couple of things: We're going to make sure that a terrorist threat can't emanate from Afghanistan again by maintaining robust over the horizon counterterrorism capabilities in the region. And we're going to continue to support our Afghan partners, bilaterally, through maintenance support, through financial support, and we're going to continue to want to see a stable, secure Afghanistan. The other thing I would say is that we want to continue to see that there's a negotiated political settlement here for governance going forward, so that's what our focus is on right now," Kirby continued.


He was then asked if the Taliban is actually interested in any sort of negotiations.


"I think that's a question for Taliban leaders to speak to. They have a team in Doha. They have participated in the past in negotiations. Now, whether they're still interested in that or not, I think it's for them to speak to. We are still interested in seeing that outcome, and so should the rest of the international community," Kirby said.


United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on the Taliban to halt their offensive in Afghanistan.

“I call on the Taliban to immediately halt the offensive, negotiate in good faith in the interest of Afghanistan and its people," he told reporters Friday.

"I hope that discussions in Doha, Qatar between representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Taliban — supported by the region and the wider international community — will restore the pathway to a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Only an Afghan-led negotiated political settlement can ensure peace,” he added.


At least 241,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the Afghan conflict, and in the last month alone, more than 1,000 people have “been killed or injured from indiscriminate attacks against civilians, notably in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces,” he said.
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Why Washington deployed more than 3 infantry battalions of US troops to secure evacuations from Kabul

Why Washington deployed more than 3 infantry battalions of US troops to secure evacuations from Kabul

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Three infantry battalions are on their way to the Kabul airport, the Defense Department announced Thursday, as the State Department moves to evacuate civilians from its embassy there.

At the same time, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, another 1,000 troops are headed to Qatar to help process special immigrant visas for Afghan interpreters, while an entire infantry brigade combat team will set up in Kuwait as an on-call reaction force, as the Taliban advances its campaign to take provincial capitals around the country.

“I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of personnel, at the request of the State Department, and to facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants,” Kirby said. “This is a temporary mission with a narrow focus.”

The battalions, two Marine and one Army, are expected to arrive at the Kabul airport within the next 24 to 48 hours, Kirby said. He would not provide details on which units or where they are based, only that they are already foward-deployed to CENTCOM.

They will report to Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, who heads up U.S. Forces Afghanistan Forward, the follow-on mission after the end of Operation Resolute Support.

Within days, 1,000 soldiers and airmen will arrive in Qatar, one of the proposed third-country partners for processing SIVs, to help with medical screenings and other steps in the process, in an effort to expedite the approval of thousands of applications.

And within the next week, an 82nd Airborne Division brigade will head to Kuwait as a back-up force to protect the airport, Kirby added, though he declined to specific which one.

Forces would join with 650 troops still on the ground in Kabul, as part of a long-term security contingent for the U.S. embassy. Though U.S. Central Command has declined to specify how many troops are still in Afghanistan, the deadline to withdraw the last 2,500 train-advise-assist and counter-terror troops comes at the end of August.

The emergency security mission is not expected to extend that deadline, Kirby said. The move, however, raises questions as to how a drawdown of 2,500 so quickly turned into a surge of at least 3,000.

“Once this mission is over ― I won’t get into specific numbers here ― but we anticipate having less than 1,000 troops on the ground to support the diplomatic mission in Kabul, which we all agree we still want to be able to have,” Kirby said.

The move suggests a lack of confidence by the Biden administration in the Afghan government’s ability to provide sufficient diplomatic security in the capital as the Taliban mount an offensive that has rapidly conquered key cities in recent days.

Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than U.S. military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when President Joe Biden ordered a full withdrawal.

The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks, captured three more provincial capitals Wednesday and another two on Thursday, the 10th and 11th the insurgents have taken in a weeklong sweep that has given them effective control of about two-thirds of the country. The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory, including the country’s third-largest city, Herat, with stunning speed.

In a new warning to Americans in Afghanistan, the second it has issued since Saturday, the embassy in Kabul on Thursday again urged U.S. citizens to leave immediately. The advisory was released amid increasing discussions in Washington about further reducing already limited staff at the embassy.

The U.S. continues to support the Afghan military with limited airstrikes, but those have not made a strategic difference thus far and are scheduled to end when the U.S. formally ends its role in the war on Aug. 31. Biden could continue airstrikes beyond that date, but given his firm stance on ending the war, that seems unlikely.

The most recent American military assessment, taking into account the Taliban’s latest gains, says Kabul could be under insurgent pressure by September and that the country could fall entirely to Taliban control within a couple of months, according to a defense official who discussed the internal analysis Wednesday on condition of anonymity.


Military officials watching the deteriorating situation said that so far the Taliban haven’t taken steps to threaten Kabul. But it isn’t clear if the Taliban will wait until they have gained control of the bulk of the country before attempting to seize the capital.

The security of the U.S. diplomatic corps has been talked about for months, even before the Taliban’s battlefield blitz. The military has long had various planning options for evacuating personnel from Afghanistan. Those options would largely be determined by the White House and the State Department.

A key component of the options would be whether the U.S. military would have unfettered access to the Kabul international airport, allowing personnel to be flown systematically out of the capital. In a grimmer environment, American forces might have to fight their way in and out if the Taliban have infiltrated the city.


Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

Three infantry battalions are on their way to the Kabul airport, the Defense Department announced Thursday, as the State Department moves to evacuate civilians from its embassy there.

At the same time, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, another 1,000 troops are headed to Qatar to help process special immigrant visas for Afghan interpreters, while an entire infantry brigade combat team will set up in Kuwait as an on-call reaction force, as the Taliban advances its campaign to take provincial capitals around the country.

“I want to stress that these forces are being deployed to support the orderly and safe reduction of personnel, at the request of the State Department, and to facilitate an accelerated process of working through SIV applicants,” Kirby said. “This is a temporary mission with a narrow focus.”

The battalions, two Marine and one Army, are expected to arrive at the Kabul airport within the next 24 to 48 hours, Kirby said. He would not provide details on which units or where they are based, only that they are already foward-deployed to CENTCOM.

They will report to Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, who heads up U.S. Forces Afghanistan Forward, the follow-on mission after the end of Operation Resolute Support.

Within days, 1,000 soldiers and airmen will arrive in Qatar, one of the proposed third-country partners for processing SIVs, to help with medical screenings and other steps in the process, in an effort to expedite the approval of thousands of applications.

And within the next week, an 82nd Airborne Division brigade will head to Kuwait as a back-up force to protect the airport, Kirby added, though he declined to specific which one.

Forces would join with 650 troops still on the ground in Kabul, as part of a long-term security contingent for the U.S. embassy. Though U.S. Central Command has declined to specify how many troops are still in Afghanistan, the deadline to withdraw the last 2,500 train-advise-assist and counter-terror troops comes at the end of August.

The emergency security mission is not expected to extend that deadline, Kirby said. The move, however, raises questions as to how a drawdown of 2,500 so quickly turned into a surge of at least 3,000.

“Once this mission is over ― I won’t get into specific numbers here ― but we anticipate having less than 1,000 troops on the ground to support the diplomatic mission in Kabul, which we all agree we still want to be able to have,” Kirby said.

The move suggests a lack of confidence by the Biden administration in the Afghan government’s ability to provide sufficient diplomatic security in the capital as the Taliban mount an offensive that has rapidly conquered key cities in recent days.

Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than U.S. military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when President Joe Biden ordered a full withdrawal.

The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks, captured three more provincial capitals Wednesday and another two on Thursday, the 10th and 11th the insurgents have taken in a weeklong sweep that has given them effective control of about two-thirds of the country. The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory, including the country’s third-largest city, Herat, with stunning speed.

In a new warning to Americans in Afghanistan, the second it has issued since Saturday, the embassy in Kabul on Thursday again urged U.S. citizens to leave immediately. The advisory was released amid increasing discussions in Washington about further reducing already limited staff at the embassy.

The U.S. continues to support the Afghan military with limited airstrikes, but those have not made a strategic difference thus far and are scheduled to end when the U.S. formally ends its role in the war on Aug. 31. Biden could continue airstrikes beyond that date, but given his firm stance on ending the war, that seems unlikely.

The most recent American military assessment, taking into account the Taliban’s latest gains, says Kabul could be under insurgent pressure by September and that the country could fall entirely to Taliban control within a couple of months, according to a defense official who discussed the internal analysis Wednesday on condition of anonymity.


Military officials watching the deteriorating situation said that so far the Taliban haven’t taken steps to threaten Kabul. But it isn’t clear if the Taliban will wait until they have gained control of the bulk of the country before attempting to seize the capital.

The security of the U.S. diplomatic corps has been talked about for months, even before the Taliban’s battlefield blitz. The military has long had various planning options for evacuating personnel from Afghanistan. Those options would largely be determined by the White House and the State Department.

A key component of the options would be whether the U.S. military would have unfettered access to the Kabul international airport, allowing personnel to be flown systematically out of the capital. In a grimmer environment, American forces might have to fight their way in and out if the Taliban have infiltrated the city.


Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
Tags:

TIB condemns the violence, derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities

TIB condemns the violence, derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities

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The "Take it back movement" has on Wednesday condemned in strong terms the violence and highly derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities.


According to the statement made available by the group, the TIB says: "We reject it as barbaric, disgusting, unlawful and a complete violation of both human rights and International accords."


"We willill no longer tolerate the violation of the rights of Nigerians by foreign authorities"


"No doubt, the unfortunate development in Indonesia can be classified as part of a series of unfortunate trends of utter disrespect and rights violations, Nigerians and Africans in diaspora continue to face in the hands of racist authorities."


"Needless to say, the reason Nigerians living abroad are disrespected without regards to their rights is the fact that Nigeria parades rulers that lack respect for the rights of its citizens, both home and abroad. That is the reason our citizens are treated with disgust and utter disdain by authorities of other countries."


"The World watched how the Nigerian government killed it’s youths for protesting police brutality. The world is witness to the fact that the Nigerian leaders lack respect for the lives of its citizens. The world saw and witnessed how Nigerians continue to troop en-masse into foreign countries due to a complete breakdown of governance in Nigeria."


"And now, we have seen how a Nigerian Public Officer has been visited with the violence and barbarism ordinary Nigerians living in diaspora have to cope with almost on daily bases. This Public Officer is now confronted with the same evil the regime of Buhari, under whom he serves, has been meting on the people of Nigeria over the past seven years. As a member of the ruling class, he has now become a victim of Buhari’s incompetence and the complete damage the regime has done to the image and respect of the Nigerian people and the black race."


READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:



VIDEO: NIGERIA'S Former High Commissioner To Indonesia Ibrahim Baba Mai-Sule Almost Strangled To Death By Immigration Officers, Abuja Says Unacceptable


11TH AUGUST 2021


VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF NIGERIANS BY FOREIGN AUTHORITIES 

Statement Of The TakeItBack movement, Global.

We Will No Longer Tolerate The Violation Of The Rights Of Nigerians By Foreign Authorities

The TakeitBack Movement condemns with strong vehemence, the violence and highly derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities. We reject it as barbaric, disgusting, unlawful and a complete violation of both human rights and International accords. 


According to a video making the rounds on the internet, a Nigerian Consular in Indonesia, Mr. Abdulrahman Ibrahim, can be seen being brutalized and harassed almost to a point of death. While Mr. Ibrahim’s rights were being violated by Indonesian authorities, the consular kept screaming ‘’i cant breathe’’. But the groans of pain by the Nigerian seemed not to move the unprofessional and highly barbaric officers who may have quickly forgotten that George Floyd in the US was extrajudicially murdered in a similar pattern by racist police officers.  


No doubt, the unfortunate development in Indonesia can be classified as part of a series of unfortunate trends of utter disrespect and rights violations, Nigerians and Africans in diaspora continue to face in the hands of racist authorities.


Needless to say, the reason Nigerians living abroad are disrespected without regards to their rights is the fact that Nigeria parades rulers that lack respect for the rights of its citizens, both home and abroad. That is the reason our citizens are treated with disgust and utter disdain by authorities of other countries. 

The World watched how the Nigerian government killed it’s youths for protesting police brutality. The world is witness to the fact that the Nigerian leaders lack respect for the lives of its citizens. The world saw and witnessed how Nigerians continue to troop en-masse into foreign countries due to a complete breakdown of governance in Nigeria. 


And now, we have seen how a Nigerian Public Officer has been visited with the violence and barbarism ordinary Nigerians living in diaspora have to cope with almost on daily bases. This Public Officer is now confronted with the same evil the regime of Buhari, under whom he serves, has been meting on the people of Nigeria over the past seven years. As a member of the ruling class, he has now become a victim of Buhari’s incompetence and the complete damage the regime has done to the image and respect of the Nigerian people and the black race. 


For us in the TakeItBack Movement, we are resolved to confront and engage all attempts at unlawful aggression and rights violation of Nigerians and Africans living in the diaspora. It is to this end that we will be engaging the Indonesian authorities over this matter, using all lawful means within our disposal.


Every person, including Nigerians have the right to live in dignity in whatever country they find themselves. And in situations where laws are breached, we believe the rule of law and human rights should not be thrown to the winds.


Conclusively, we urge Nigerians living in the diaspora to join us massively in the quest to rid Nigeria of incompetent and lawless leaders. We ask that you join us in the task to take back Nigeria from the rule of maladministration, lawlessness, mass poverty, death and destruction. It should be noted that until Nigeria is free, none of us will be free to agitate for whatever good life or nation we want, or free from the burden that comes with carrying the imposed identity of the poverty capital of the world.  


Signed:


Dr. Chidi Nwanyanwu

Director of Media, Communications and PR

TakeItBack Movement, Global


The "Take it back movement" has on Wednesday condemned in strong terms the violence and highly derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities.


According to the statement made available by the group, the TIB says: "We reject it as barbaric, disgusting, unlawful and a complete violation of both human rights and International accords."


"We willill no longer tolerate the violation of the rights of Nigerians by foreign authorities"


"No doubt, the unfortunate development in Indonesia can be classified as part of a series of unfortunate trends of utter disrespect and rights violations, Nigerians and Africans in diaspora continue to face in the hands of racist authorities."


"Needless to say, the reason Nigerians living abroad are disrespected without regards to their rights is the fact that Nigeria parades rulers that lack respect for the rights of its citizens, both home and abroad. That is the reason our citizens are treated with disgust and utter disdain by authorities of other countries."


"The World watched how the Nigerian government killed it’s youths for protesting police brutality. The world is witness to the fact that the Nigerian leaders lack respect for the lives of its citizens. The world saw and witnessed how Nigerians continue to troop en-masse into foreign countries due to a complete breakdown of governance in Nigeria."


"And now, we have seen how a Nigerian Public Officer has been visited with the violence and barbarism ordinary Nigerians living in diaspora have to cope with almost on daily bases. This Public Officer is now confronted with the same evil the regime of Buhari, under whom he serves, has been meting on the people of Nigeria over the past seven years. As a member of the ruling class, he has now become a victim of Buhari’s incompetence and the complete damage the regime has done to the image and respect of the Nigerian people and the black race."


READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:



VIDEO: NIGERIA'S Former High Commissioner To Indonesia Ibrahim Baba Mai-Sule Almost Strangled To Death By Immigration Officers, Abuja Says Unacceptable


11TH AUGUST 2021


VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF NIGERIANS BY FOREIGN AUTHORITIES 

Statement Of The TakeItBack movement, Global.

We Will No Longer Tolerate The Violation Of The Rights Of Nigerians By Foreign Authorities

The TakeitBack Movement condemns with strong vehemence, the violence and highly derogatory attacks against a Nigerian residence of Indonesia by Indonesian authorities. We reject it as barbaric, disgusting, unlawful and a complete violation of both human rights and International accords. 


According to a video making the rounds on the internet, a Nigerian Consular in Indonesia, Mr. Abdulrahman Ibrahim, can be seen being brutalized and harassed almost to a point of death. While Mr. Ibrahim’s rights were being violated by Indonesian authorities, the consular kept screaming ‘’i cant breathe’’. But the groans of pain by the Nigerian seemed not to move the unprofessional and highly barbaric officers who may have quickly forgotten that George Floyd in the US was extrajudicially murdered in a similar pattern by racist police officers.  


No doubt, the unfortunate development in Indonesia can be classified as part of a series of unfortunate trends of utter disrespect and rights violations, Nigerians and Africans in diaspora continue to face in the hands of racist authorities.


Needless to say, the reason Nigerians living abroad are disrespected without regards to their rights is the fact that Nigeria parades rulers that lack respect for the rights of its citizens, both home and abroad. That is the reason our citizens are treated with disgust and utter disdain by authorities of other countries. 

The World watched how the Nigerian government killed it’s youths for protesting police brutality. The world is witness to the fact that the Nigerian leaders lack respect for the lives of its citizens. The world saw and witnessed how Nigerians continue to troop en-masse into foreign countries due to a complete breakdown of governance in Nigeria. 


And now, we have seen how a Nigerian Public Officer has been visited with the violence and barbarism ordinary Nigerians living in diaspora have to cope with almost on daily bases. This Public Officer is now confronted with the same evil the regime of Buhari, under whom he serves, has been meting on the people of Nigeria over the past seven years. As a member of the ruling class, he has now become a victim of Buhari’s incompetence and the complete damage the regime has done to the image and respect of the Nigerian people and the black race. 


For us in the TakeItBack Movement, we are resolved to confront and engage all attempts at unlawful aggression and rights violation of Nigerians and Africans living in the diaspora. It is to this end that we will be engaging the Indonesian authorities over this matter, using all lawful means within our disposal.


Every person, including Nigerians have the right to live in dignity in whatever country they find themselves. And in situations where laws are breached, we believe the rule of law and human rights should not be thrown to the winds.


Conclusively, we urge Nigerians living in the diaspora to join us massively in the quest to rid Nigeria of incompetent and lawless leaders. We ask that you join us in the task to take back Nigeria from the rule of maladministration, lawlessness, mass poverty, death and destruction. It should be noted that until Nigeria is free, none of us will be free to agitate for whatever good life or nation we want, or free from the burden that comes with carrying the imposed identity of the poverty capital of the world.  


Signed:


Dr. Chidi Nwanyanwu

Director of Media, Communications and PR

TakeItBack Movement, Global

Tags:

VIDEO: NIGERIA'S former High Commissioner to Indonesia Ibrahim Baba Mai-Sule Almost Strangled to death by immigration officers, Abuja says unacceptable

VIDEO: NIGERIA'S former High Commissioner to Indonesia Ibrahim Baba Mai-Sule Almost Strangled to death by immigration officers, Abuja says unacceptable

No comments

 



WARNING!!! DISTURBING VIDEO: Viewers' discretion is advised!


A Nigerian Diplomat manhandled by the Indonesian immigration officers. 

NO MORE RESPECT FOR NIGERIA AS A COUNTRY UNDER BUHARI'S DICTATORIAL RULE.






 



WARNING!!! DISTURBING VIDEO: Viewers' discretion is advised!


A Nigerian Diplomat manhandled by the Indonesian immigration officers. 

NO MORE RESPECT FOR NIGERIA AS A COUNTRY UNDER BUHARI'S DICTATORIAL RULE.






Tags:

World Leaders Congratulate Bennett; Who’s Who in Israel’s New Gov't?

World Leaders Congratulate Bennett; Who’s Who in Israel’s New Gov't?

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World Israel News



World leaders called and tweeted their their congratulations to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the hours following the swearing in of his new government on Sunday.


The first call was from U.S. President Joe Biden, who reaffirmed his country’s solid friendship and commitment to Israel’s security, followed closely by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who took to Twitter to reaffirm his nation’s commitment to “stand by Israel’s side.”


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also used the social media platform to offer his congratulations.


“As we emerge from COVID-19, this is an exciting time for the UK and Israel to continue working together to advance peace and prosperity for all,” he tweeted.


 

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab specified the goal of “continued cooperation on security, trade and climate change, and working together to secure peace in the region” in his own congratulatory message.


Germany’s top two officials, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, both mentioned their eagerness to work closely with their new Israeli counterparts in their messages. Maas even threw in the traditional Jewish congratulations, tweeting, “Mazel tov! Germany will always be by Israel’s side.”


Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who established a close rapport with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that led to an exponential leap in trade and friendship between the two countries, went one better. He tweeted his congratulations to Bennett entirely in Hebrew, saying, “In anticipation of marking 30 years since the upgrading of our diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting with you and deepening the strategic relationship between our two countries.”


כבוד ראש הממשלה,

ברכותי לכבוד קבלת תפקידך החדש כראש ממשלת ישראל. לקראת ציון 30 שנה לשדרוג היחסים הדיפלומטים בשנה הבאה, אני מצפה להיפגש איתך ולהעמקת היחסים האסטרטגיים

בין המדינות שלנו.@naftalibennett @IsraeliPM


— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2021


UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab specified the goal of “continued cooperation on security, trade and climate change, and working together to secure peace in the region” in his own congratulatory message.

Germany’s top two officials, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, both mentioned their eagerness to work closely with their new Israeli counterparts in their messages. Maas even threw in the traditional Jewish congratulations, tweeting, “Mazel tov! Germany will always be by Israel’s side.”

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who established a close rapport with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that led to an exponential leap in trade and friendship between the two countries, went one better. He tweeted his congratulations to Bennett entirely in Hebrew, saying, “In anticipation of marking 30 years since the upgrading of our diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting with you and deepening the strategic relationship between our two countries.”


 The new government of Israel sweeps a lot of new and younger faces into the cabinet. While critics don’t expect the coalition and its one-seat Knesset majority to last, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says his government will have staying power.


Here’s a who’s who of the key players who will be in the news in the coming days and weeks.


Prime Minister: Naftali Bennett: Leader of the right-wing religious-Zionist Yemina party. The son of American immigrants, the 49-year-old Bennett made his fortune as a software entrepreneur before entering politics in 2006.


His early political career includes a two-year stint as Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff and another two years as director-general of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of the Israeli settlers movement. In more recent years, he has held the defense, education and diaspora affairs portfolios, among others.


He is the 13th and current prime minister of Israel since 13 June 2021. He served as minister of Diaspora Affairs from 2013 to 2019, as minister of education from 2015 to 2019 and as minister of Defense from 2019 to 2020.

Bennett and his wife, Gilat, live in Ra’anana with their four children.

Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid: Leader of the secular, centrist Yesh Atid party. Prior to entering politics, Lapid was a prominent news anchor and columnist. He is widely credited with being the driving force behind the formation of the Change bloc. Lapid served as finance minister for nearly two years and then as the Knesset’s opposition leade


Under the terms of the rotation agreement, Lapid and Bennett will switch posts in two year


He has clashed with the Haredi community over issues such as Sabbath commerce and army deferments for yeshiva student


Lapid lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Lihi and their two children. Lapid has another son from a previous marriag


Defense Minister Benny Gantz: Leader of the secular, centrist Blue and White party. Gantz served as IDF chief of staff before entering politics. Gantz allied himself with Lapid for the March 2020 election campaign. After the election resulted in political stalemate, Gantz broke with Lapid to join Benjamin Netanyahu in a national unity government to fight the Covid pandemic.


The unity government included a rotation agreement that would have seen Gantz becoming prime minister in November, 2021. But Gantz’s popularity fell after Netanyahu broke the deal.


Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman: Leader of the secular, right-wing Israel Beiteinu party. Liberman was born in Moldova and came to Israel with his parents. Liberman became active in politics, rising to director-general of the Likud party in the ’90s, and then director-general of the prime minister’s office After a falling out with Netanyahu, Liberman formed the National Union, and then the Israel Beiteinu parties. Secular Russian immigrants make up the bulk of his political base.


In previous governments, Liberman has held a number of cabinet portfolios, most notably defense and foreign affairs.


Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar: Leader of the secular, right-wing New Hope party. Like Bennett and Liberman, Sa’ar rose to Likud’s highest echelons before falling out with Netanyahu and leaving the party. He has held the interior and education portfolios in previous governments.


Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked: Number two person in Yemina. Shaked was a prominent Likud activist who quit the party to join forces with Naftali Bennett. Shaked previously served as Justice Minister.


Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli: Leader of the secular, left-wing Labor party. A former news anchor and columnist, Michaeli first went into politics in 2012.


Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz: Leader of the secular, left-wing Meretz party. A former journalist and commentator, Horowitz entered politics in 2009.


Knesset Member Mansour Abbas: Leader of the Islamist Arab Ra’am party. Abbas will hold no cabinet position, but his party’s four seats will make him a pivotal figure. A dentist by training, he first entered the Knesset in 2019 as a member of the United Arab List, a faction of the Joint List. Abbas broke with the Joint List. Ra’am is the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition.


Speaker of the Knesset Mickey Levy: Member of Yesh Atid. A former police officer and of Kurdish descent, Levy formerly served as Deputy Minister of Finance.


Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu: Leader of the Likud party. As head of the largest party not in the governing coalition, Netanyahu will serve as opposition leader. The former prime minister says he will work to topple the Change bloc government.


Netanyahu served as prime minister for 12 years, and also for a three-year stint in the 90s. He is currently standing trial on charges of corruption. Netanyahu maintains he is innocent.

World Israel News



World leaders called and tweeted their their congratulations to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the hours following the swearing in of his new government on Sunday.


The first call was from U.S. President Joe Biden, who reaffirmed his country’s solid friendship and commitment to Israel’s security, followed closely by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who took to Twitter to reaffirm his nation’s commitment to “stand by Israel’s side.”


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also used the social media platform to offer his congratulations.


“As we emerge from COVID-19, this is an exciting time for the UK and Israel to continue working together to advance peace and prosperity for all,” he tweeted.


 

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab specified the goal of “continued cooperation on security, trade and climate change, and working together to secure peace in the region” in his own congratulatory message.


Germany’s top two officials, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, both mentioned their eagerness to work closely with their new Israeli counterparts in their messages. Maas even threw in the traditional Jewish congratulations, tweeting, “Mazel tov! Germany will always be by Israel’s side.”


Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who established a close rapport with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that led to an exponential leap in trade and friendship between the two countries, went one better. He tweeted his congratulations to Bennett entirely in Hebrew, saying, “In anticipation of marking 30 years since the upgrading of our diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting with you and deepening the strategic relationship between our two countries.”


כבוד ראש הממשלה,

ברכותי לכבוד קבלת תפקידך החדש כראש ממשלת ישראל. לקראת ציון 30 שנה לשדרוג היחסים הדיפלומטים בשנה הבאה, אני מצפה להיפגש איתך ולהעמקת היחסים האסטרטגיים

בין המדינות שלנו.@naftalibennett @IsraeliPM


— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2021


UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab specified the goal of “continued cooperation on security, trade and climate change, and working together to secure peace in the region” in his own congratulatory message.

Germany’s top two officials, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas, both mentioned their eagerness to work closely with their new Israeli counterparts in their messages. Maas even threw in the traditional Jewish congratulations, tweeting, “Mazel tov! Germany will always be by Israel’s side.”

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who established a close rapport with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that led to an exponential leap in trade and friendship between the two countries, went one better. He tweeted his congratulations to Bennett entirely in Hebrew, saying, “In anticipation of marking 30 years since the upgrading of our diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting with you and deepening the strategic relationship between our two countries.”


 The new government of Israel sweeps a lot of new and younger faces into the cabinet. While critics don’t expect the coalition and its one-seat Knesset majority to last, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says his government will have staying power.


Here’s a who’s who of the key players who will be in the news in the coming days and weeks.


Prime Minister: Naftali Bennett: Leader of the right-wing religious-Zionist Yemina party. The son of American immigrants, the 49-year-old Bennett made his fortune as a software entrepreneur before entering politics in 2006.


His early political career includes a two-year stint as Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff and another two years as director-general of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of the Israeli settlers movement. In more recent years, he has held the defense, education and diaspora affairs portfolios, among others.


He is the 13th and current prime minister of Israel since 13 June 2021. He served as minister of Diaspora Affairs from 2013 to 2019, as minister of education from 2015 to 2019 and as minister of Defense from 2019 to 2020.

Bennett and his wife, Gilat, live in Ra’anana with their four children.

Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid: Leader of the secular, centrist Yesh Atid party. Prior to entering politics, Lapid was a prominent news anchor and columnist. He is widely credited with being the driving force behind the formation of the Change bloc. Lapid served as finance minister for nearly two years and then as the Knesset’s opposition leade


Under the terms of the rotation agreement, Lapid and Bennett will switch posts in two year


He has clashed with the Haredi community over issues such as Sabbath commerce and army deferments for yeshiva student


Lapid lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Lihi and their two children. Lapid has another son from a previous marriag


Defense Minister Benny Gantz: Leader of the secular, centrist Blue and White party. Gantz served as IDF chief of staff before entering politics. Gantz allied himself with Lapid for the March 2020 election campaign. After the election resulted in political stalemate, Gantz broke with Lapid to join Benjamin Netanyahu in a national unity government to fight the Covid pandemic.


The unity government included a rotation agreement that would have seen Gantz becoming prime minister in November, 2021. But Gantz’s popularity fell after Netanyahu broke the deal.


Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman: Leader of the secular, right-wing Israel Beiteinu party. Liberman was born in Moldova and came to Israel with his parents. Liberman became active in politics, rising to director-general of the Likud party in the ’90s, and then director-general of the prime minister’s office After a falling out with Netanyahu, Liberman formed the National Union, and then the Israel Beiteinu parties. Secular Russian immigrants make up the bulk of his political base.


In previous governments, Liberman has held a number of cabinet portfolios, most notably defense and foreign affairs.


Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar: Leader of the secular, right-wing New Hope party. Like Bennett and Liberman, Sa’ar rose to Likud’s highest echelons before falling out with Netanyahu and leaving the party. He has held the interior and education portfolios in previous governments.


Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked: Number two person in Yemina. Shaked was a prominent Likud activist who quit the party to join forces with Naftali Bennett. Shaked previously served as Justice Minister.


Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli: Leader of the secular, left-wing Labor party. A former news anchor and columnist, Michaeli first went into politics in 2012.


Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz: Leader of the secular, left-wing Meretz party. A former journalist and commentator, Horowitz entered politics in 2009.


Knesset Member Mansour Abbas: Leader of the Islamist Arab Ra’am party. Abbas will hold no cabinet position, but his party’s four seats will make him a pivotal figure. A dentist by training, he first entered the Knesset in 2019 as a member of the United Arab List, a faction of the Joint List. Abbas broke with the Joint List. Ra’am is the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition.


Speaker of the Knesset Mickey Levy: Member of Yesh Atid. A former police officer and of Kurdish descent, Levy formerly served as Deputy Minister of Finance.


Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu: Leader of the Likud party. As head of the largest party not in the governing coalition, Netanyahu will serve as opposition leader. The former prime minister says he will work to topple the Change bloc government.


Netanyahu served as prime minister for 12 years, and also for a three-year stint in the 90s. He is currently standing trial on charges of corruption. Netanyahu maintains he is innocent.

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Syrian state media: Israeli Defense Forces, IDF strike several targets in Damascus leaves 10 dead

Syrian state media: Israeli Defense Forces, IDF strike several targets in Damascus leaves 10 dead

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 Syrian reports says Israel struck several targets in the Damascus area; casualties include 7 ‘non-Syrians.’


By Paul Shindman, World Israel News



Syrian sources claimed Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Damascus area Tuesday night, leaving at least 10 people dead including seven “non-Syrians.”

The official Syrian news agency SANA reported the “Syrian Arab Army confronted an Israeli aggression” and shot down some incoming missiles that it claimed were fired by Israeli aircraft flying over Lebanon.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the strikes targeted Syrian military sites and were the first in close to a month. SOHR activists reported hearing explosions in the perimeter of Damascus international airport and at least two other locations including “arsenals in the al-Dumayr district.”

Arabic media quoting the SOHR reported that at least 10 people were killed “including 7 non-Syrians,” which is generally a euphemism for Iranian military personnel or members of foreign militias backed by Iran that are in the country supporting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

There was no official confirmation from any Israel sources, who usually decline to comment on reports of attacks on Syria.


The SOHR noted that Syrian regime forces and Iranian-backed militias were seen on high alert in the perimeter of Damascus international airport for unknown reasons since early June.


The organization said the latest air attack appears to be the first since a May 5 helicopter strike by the Israel Air Force on a Syrian military post near Quneitra that was manned by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, injuring three of them.


In April, an old model Russian-made anti-aircraft missile fired by Syria missed its target and flew hundreds of kilometers south before exploding in an open area of the Negev desert near the Israeli nuclear site in Dimona. The incoming missile triggered air defense alerts and caused some panic, but no damage or injuries.


Israeli leaders have repeatedly declared that they will not tolerate an Iranian threat on its northern border with Syria and will take all necessary measures to ensure that such a presence does not emerge.


Iran, which routinely threatens to destroy Israel, arms and funds Hezbollah. Israel has repeatedly intercepted shipments of advanced weapons that Iran has tried to supply to the terror group in Lebanon.

 Syrian reports says Israel struck several targets in the Damascus area; casualties include 7 ‘non-Syrians.’


By Paul Shindman, World Israel News



Syrian sources claimed Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Damascus area Tuesday night, leaving at least 10 people dead including seven “non-Syrians.”

The official Syrian news agency SANA reported the “Syrian Arab Army confronted an Israeli aggression” and shot down some incoming missiles that it claimed were fired by Israeli aircraft flying over Lebanon.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the strikes targeted Syrian military sites and were the first in close to a month. SOHR activists reported hearing explosions in the perimeter of Damascus international airport and at least two other locations including “arsenals in the al-Dumayr district.”

Arabic media quoting the SOHR reported that at least 10 people were killed “including 7 non-Syrians,” which is generally a euphemism for Iranian military personnel or members of foreign militias backed by Iran that are in the country supporting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

There was no official confirmation from any Israel sources, who usually decline to comment on reports of attacks on Syria.


The SOHR noted that Syrian regime forces and Iranian-backed militias were seen on high alert in the perimeter of Damascus international airport for unknown reasons since early June.


The organization said the latest air attack appears to be the first since a May 5 helicopter strike by the Israel Air Force on a Syrian military post near Quneitra that was manned by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, injuring three of them.


In April, an old model Russian-made anti-aircraft missile fired by Syria missed its target and flew hundreds of kilometers south before exploding in an open area of the Negev desert near the Israeli nuclear site in Dimona. The incoming missile triggered air defense alerts and caused some panic, but no damage or injuries.


Israeli leaders have repeatedly declared that they will not tolerate an Iranian threat on its northern border with Syria and will take all necessary measures to ensure that such a presence does not emerge.


Iran, which routinely threatens to destroy Israel, arms and funds Hezbollah. Israel has repeatedly intercepted shipments of advanced weapons that Iran has tried to supply to the terror group in Lebanon.

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Israeli Netanyahu blasts coalition, fights to survive, seeks defectors to block new gov’t

Israeli Netanyahu blasts coalition, fights to survive, seeks defectors to block new gov’t

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By Paul Shindman, World Israel News



With an estimated 10 days left before coalition government could sweep him out of power for the first time in 12 years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies attacked Yemina Party leader Naftali Bennett Thurdsay in an attempt to break apart the bizarre coalition of right, left and Arab parties before it can take office.

“All right-wing Knesset members must oppose this dangerous left-wing government,” Netanyahu tweeted.

On Friday, supporters of Netanyahu’s Likud party protested outside Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, angry with his decision to go back on a pre-election promise to never sit in a government with the center-left Yesh Atid party led by Yair Lapid. Netanyahu and top Likud officials are trying to get Yemina members Nir Orbach and Idit Silman to drop their support, Kan News reported.

On social media, the Likud party posted a loop of a nine-second video of Bennett, who is on track to replace Netanyahu as prime minister, promising that he would never serve in a Lapid government.

“I promise you that in any situation I will not sit (with) and will not give my hand that Yair Lapid will be the prime minister of Israel,” Bennett said at the time.

However, Bennett on Thursday explained in a Channel 10 interview that his top priority was preventing Israel from going to a fifth straight election. In return, Lapid also compromised and will allow Bennett, whose Yemina party has only seven seats compared to Lapid’s 17 in the 120-seat Knesset, lead the country first.

The eight-party coalition will see Lapid and Bennett split the leadership duties with Bennett being prime minister for the next two years before handing the position over to Lapid.

Bennett held a private meeting of the seven Knesset members in his caucus, working to convince legislator Orbach to support the formation of the unprecedented coalition that will see right, center and left-wing parties get the support of the Islamist United Arab List (Ra’am) party to give it the required majority in the 120-Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Orbach withdrew his critical vote to support changing the Knesset speaker, that would allow the incoming coalition to control the agenda leading up to a vote of confidence in the new government expected on June 13.

Orbach said publicly “I know who Abbas is, I do not want to sit with him in one government,” and announced that if he decided not be part of the coalition he would resign his seat for someone else in the party. He later recanted after a massive social media campaign by the right-wing demanding he stay true to his convictions and remain in the party, Kan News reported.

Going in to the meeting at Bennett’s house, Orbach would only say that “meetings with the faction are always successful, it will be good.”

Lapid and Bennett want to replace Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin of Likud who is close to Netanyahu with somebody from their coalition, but lacking Orbach’s critical vote Levin remains in charge of the House. Levin demanded the two submit their coalition agreement to him as speaker of the house, which would also give Likud and other opponents a chance to publicly exploit any written agreements for concessions to Arab or left-wing parties that could thwart an expected vote in the Knesset later this month.

“The agreements should be submitted to the Knesset Secretariat immediately upon their signing,” said Levin said. Coalition members fear that Levin do as much as possible to postpone the plenary session in which the new government will be sworn in – thus allowing the continued public pressure Bennett’s party as well as the right-wing New Hope party led by Gideon Saar, who earlier this year bolted Likud in a bid to oust Netanyahu.

The Likud is also trying to convince New Hope members Ze’ev Elkin and Sharren Haskel, both former Likud members who sided with Elkin, to defect back to their home party.

A surprise angle that opponents to Lapid and Bennett might take the Arab angle, hoping that both opponents and followers of Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas may object to any concessions he may have made in supporting a majority Jewish government.

Ra’am, a conservative religious Islamist party, is vehemently opposed to the gay rights agenda of the left-wing Meretz party, which is also in the coalition. Although the coalition agreement reportedly leaves LGBT issues off the government’s legislative agenda to ensure Ra’am support, Meretz leader Nizan Horowitz said his party had to stick its core goal of promoting LGBT issues.

Abbas has faced intensive pressure from within his own party for appearing to compromise with the Zionists, and there are still fears that if they are not careful on these issues in the coming days, any other three Ra’am Knesset members may oppose the formation of the government.
By Paul Shindman, World Israel News



With an estimated 10 days left before coalition government could sweep him out of power for the first time in 12 years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies attacked Yemina Party leader Naftali Bennett Thurdsay in an attempt to break apart the bizarre coalition of right, left and Arab parties before it can take office.

“All right-wing Knesset members must oppose this dangerous left-wing government,” Netanyahu tweeted.

On Friday, supporters of Netanyahu’s Likud party protested outside Bennett’s home in Ra’anana, angry with his decision to go back on a pre-election promise to never sit in a government with the center-left Yesh Atid party led by Yair Lapid. Netanyahu and top Likud officials are trying to get Yemina members Nir Orbach and Idit Silman to drop their support, Kan News reported.

On social media, the Likud party posted a loop of a nine-second video of Bennett, who is on track to replace Netanyahu as prime minister, promising that he would never serve in a Lapid government.

“I promise you that in any situation I will not sit (with) and will not give my hand that Yair Lapid will be the prime minister of Israel,” Bennett said at the time.

However, Bennett on Thursday explained in a Channel 10 interview that his top priority was preventing Israel from going to a fifth straight election. In return, Lapid also compromised and will allow Bennett, whose Yemina party has only seven seats compared to Lapid’s 17 in the 120-seat Knesset, lead the country first.

The eight-party coalition will see Lapid and Bennett split the leadership duties with Bennett being prime minister for the next two years before handing the position over to Lapid.

Bennett held a private meeting of the seven Knesset members in his caucus, working to convince legislator Orbach to support the formation of the unprecedented coalition that will see right, center and left-wing parties get the support of the Islamist United Arab List (Ra’am) party to give it the required majority in the 120-Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Orbach withdrew his critical vote to support changing the Knesset speaker, that would allow the incoming coalition to control the agenda leading up to a vote of confidence in the new government expected on June 13.

Orbach said publicly “I know who Abbas is, I do not want to sit with him in one government,” and announced that if he decided not be part of the coalition he would resign his seat for someone else in the party. He later recanted after a massive social media campaign by the right-wing demanding he stay true to his convictions and remain in the party, Kan News reported.

Going in to the meeting at Bennett’s house, Orbach would only say that “meetings with the faction are always successful, it will be good.”

Lapid and Bennett want to replace Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin of Likud who is close to Netanyahu with somebody from their coalition, but lacking Orbach’s critical vote Levin remains in charge of the House. Levin demanded the two submit their coalition agreement to him as speaker of the house, which would also give Likud and other opponents a chance to publicly exploit any written agreements for concessions to Arab or left-wing parties that could thwart an expected vote in the Knesset later this month.

“The agreements should be submitted to the Knesset Secretariat immediately upon their signing,” said Levin said. Coalition members fear that Levin do as much as possible to postpone the plenary session in which the new government will be sworn in – thus allowing the continued public pressure Bennett’s party as well as the right-wing New Hope party led by Gideon Saar, who earlier this year bolted Likud in a bid to oust Netanyahu.

The Likud is also trying to convince New Hope members Ze’ev Elkin and Sharren Haskel, both former Likud members who sided with Elkin, to defect back to their home party.

A surprise angle that opponents to Lapid and Bennett might take the Arab angle, hoping that both opponents and followers of Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas may object to any concessions he may have made in supporting a majority Jewish government.

Ra’am, a conservative religious Islamist party, is vehemently opposed to the gay rights agenda of the left-wing Meretz party, which is also in the coalition. Although the coalition agreement reportedly leaves LGBT issues off the government’s legislative agenda to ensure Ra’am support, Meretz leader Nizan Horowitz said his party had to stick its core goal of promoting LGBT issues.

Abbas has faced intensive pressure from within his own party for appearing to compromise with the Zionists, and there are still fears that if they are not careful on these issues in the coming days, any other three Ra’am Knesset members may oppose the formation of the government.
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How Iran’s largest navy ship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

How Iran’s largest navy ship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

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By Associated Press


The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semi-official news agencies reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said efforts failed to save the support warship Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran.

The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Photos circulated on Iranian social media of sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. State TV and semiofficial news agencies referred to the Kharg as a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

 
Satellite photos from Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Kharg off to the west of Jask on Tuesday. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze at the site of the Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s navy typically handles patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the wider seas, while the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operates in the shallower waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In recent months, however, the navy launched a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran it converted into serving a similar function as the Kharg.

Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg. However, it comes after a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy later accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull.

Iran denied targeting the vessels, though U.S. Navy footage showed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing one unexploded limpet mine from a vessel. The incidents came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020 during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near the port of Jask, killing19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea.
By Associated Press


The largest warship in the Iranian navy caught fire and later sank Wednesday in the Gulf of Oman under unclear circumstances, semi-official news agencies reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said efforts failed to save the support warship Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran.

The blaze began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 1,270 kilometers (790 miles) southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Photos circulated on Iranian social media of sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. State TV and semiofficial news agencies referred to the Kharg as a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

a “training ship.” Fars published video of thick, black smoke rising from the ship early Wednesday morning.

 
Satellite photos from Planet Labs Inc. analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Kharg off to the west of Jask on Tuesday. Satellites from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that track fires from space detected a blaze at the site of the Jask that started just before the time of the fire reported by Fars.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The warship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s navy typically handles patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the wider seas, while the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operates in the shallower waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. In recent months, however, the navy launched a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran it converted into serving a similar function as the Kharg.

Iranian officials offered no cause for the fire aboard the Kharg. However, it comes after a series of mysterious explosions that began in 2019 targeting ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy later accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, timed explosives typically attached by divers to a vessel’s hull.

Iran denied targeting the vessels, though U.S. Navy footage showed members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing one unexploded limpet mine from a vessel. The incidents came amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The sinking of the Kharg marks the latest naval disaster for Iran. In 2020 during an Iranian military training exercise, a missile mistakenly struck a naval vessel near the port of Jask, killing19 sailors and wounding 15. Also in 2018, an Iranian navy destroyer sank in the Caspian Sea.
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